Zombie Jam 2 Quick Review
Aaahhh, zombies at last! dumptruck_ds is right, this jam is better than the first one. More maps, more variety, more challenge... more zombies! Quality is also more consistent throughout. Should there ever be a zombie jam 3, I'd like zombies to actually be the focus, at last.
Skill 2 demos, all 1st runs.
zjam2_giftmacher: A simple but brutal castle map with some tricky gameplay, most especially the triple shambler ambush while the player's waiting anxiously for a nerve-wracking door to slooowllyyy ooppeeennn. Visually, the kinda nondescript exteriors are counterbalanced by the very gloomy atmosphere of the interiors. But the sky... Jesus fuckin' Christ wearing a tutu,
THE SKY! What the hell were you thinking?! I didn't find a way to grab the secret MH other than by grenade jumping, which is a design flaw in my book: one should never condition obtaining a secret to a mandatory health loss.
3.5/5
zjam2_muk: Another egyptian map by muk0r. Speedmap oblige, this is much less detailed than his Egyptian Jam entry, though it still bears his trademark craftsmanship. The somewhat cramped architecture and general darkness render the atmosphere quite oppressive. Combat makes for a good challenge. The one secret is much too easy.
4/5
zjam2_scar3crow: This one starts right off the bat in the midst of the action.
No.
No, nope, you don't do that! You let the player get his bearings first. Other than this quite hectic start, combat and visuals are along the lines of id1 quality.
3.5/5
zjam2_sock: This map is less of a looker than Sock's zjam1 entry but it underwent a serious bump in challenge! Took me a few tries to beat it. I like the circular progression upward around a central shaft, not unlike Grendel's Blade, even if it is here
extremely linear.
4/5
zjam2_zombie: Looks have vastly improved since zjam1! Here we have a small base map that is getting closer to id1 visual quality, though not quite hitting the bullseye just yet. I like the strong red light given off by lava. On the other hand, it's a real walk in the park, way too easy on skill 2. BTW, the doors you used
DO NOT open like that - see E1M1 for reference. All things considered, the note remains the same:
3/5